Boys shoot dead Unani practitioner at medical facility in Delhi

Two minor boys posing as patients walked into a health facility in Jaitpur Extension around 2am on Thursday and shot dead a 54-year-old Unani practitioner, in what police suspect was “revenge” after the man sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl who was friends with the alleged shooter.
Based on the statement given by the girl, police said the practitioner, identified as Javed Akhtar, was in a relationship with the 14-year-old girl’s mother, who worked as a nurse at the facility. Police are also probing another angle – the nurse’s husband was aware of the alleged extramarital relationship and he is being questioned.
The 16-year-old boy who shot Akhtar was apprehended late on Thursday evening, they said. Police said they are questioning the minor to ascertain his version of events.
Investigators said the girl told them Akhtar sexually assaulted her repeatedly.
The shooting took place around 2am at Nima Hospital, police said.
“Information was received at 1.45am in which the caller said that a doctor was shot at in a hospital and they don’t know whether the doctor was alive or dead. When police reached the spot, a man was found on a chair with his head on the table and blood oozing out of his head,” deputy commissioner of police (south east) Rajesh Deo said.
“The woman staffer’s daughter was in the nursing home and sleeping during the shooting. When questioned, the girl said that Akhtar used to molest her. She told her friend about it and he decided to kill the medical practitioner. It has been revealed that the girl did not share about the molestation with her mother,” said an investigator, who asked not to be identified.
Police said that the boys conducted a recce before the incident.
They are now probing where the boys procured the gun.
Akhtar, a resident of Bara Hindu Rao, holds a degree in Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery (BUMS). “We don’t know about this relationship. We have no idea who could have killed him and why,” Akhtar’s brother said.
According to the FIR, a copy of which was accessed by HT, the two boys first visited the hospital around 10pm on Wednesday and one of them had an injury to the toe, which was covered with bandages. They claimed to have got the dressing done at the same hospital and wanted it changed. The complainant informed them it would cost ₹50, to which they agreed but left the premises.
The boys returned around 1am on Thursday, asking for the dressing change, and enquired whether there was a “doctor” who would prescribe medicines. The complainant said another staffer directed the boys to the cabin where Akhtar was seated.
“About five to 10 minutes later, it sounded like firecrackers were bursting and I asked another nurse about what happened. She said that some kids may be bursting firecrackers. The woman then shouted, and I ran towards her. She then said that someone had shot the doctor,” the complainant said, adding that they then informed the owner of the nursing home, who then called the police.
Police said they are checking whether the nursing home was running without a license.
The investigator cited above, requesting anonymity, said the woman staffer had a strained relationship with her husband and was in a relationship with Akhtar. Further, the boy who shot Akhtar then posted a social media message in Hindi, which said: “I committed a murder in 2024”.
Akhtar is survived by his wife and two daughters, aged five and 15.
“His wife often stayed at her mother’s residence in Okhla and he used to alternate between the Okhla and Bara Hindu Rao houses. He was working at this nursing home for around two years. He also worked at a Unani hospital in Gurugram. He was here in Bara Hindu Rao for the past few days,” Akhtar’s brother said.